1Ds Mark III shadow transitions

[william]

I have a very specific question.  I previously owned a 1Ds Mark I and II as well as a Phase One P30.  (I no longer own any of them).  One significant difference I noticed between 1Ds (Mark I and II) and the P30 was in the way the camera handled transitions from areas of highlight to shadow.  On the 1Ds, those areas would become muddy and posterized, whereas on the P30, there was still actual visible detail.  This may seem like a very minor issue, but when shooting high contrast portraits, those blotchy "almost black" areas could be really ugly when enlarged to any significant size.  I also realize that one solution is just to throw more fill light in the shadows, but that's often not the look I'm going for.

In short, I'm wondering if this "highlight to shadow transition" issue is any better in the 1Ds mark III than in previous versions?

[Josh-H]

I have a very specific question.  I previously owned a 1Ds Mark I and II as well as a Phase One P30.  (I no longer own any of them).  One significant difference I noticed between 1Ds (Mark I and II) and the P30 was in the way the camera handled transitions from areas of highlight to shadow.  On the 1Ds, those areas would become muddy and posterized, whereas on the P30, there was still actual visible detail.  This may seem like a very minor issue, but when shooting high contrast portraits, those blotchy "almost black" areas could be really ugly when enlarged to any significant size.  I also realize that one solution is just to throw more fill light in the shadows, but that's often not the look I'm going for.

In short, I'm wondering if this "highlight to shadow transition" issue is any better in the 1Ds mark III than in previous versions?

Yes - Significantly in my experience.

[eleanorbrown]

Try shooting in Luminance mode and see if you get better results.  worth a try. Eleanor

I have a very specific question.  I previously owned a 1Ds Mark I and II as well as a Phase One P30.  (I no longer own any of them).  One significant difference I noticed between 1Ds (Mark I and II) and the P30 was in the way the camera handled transitions from areas of highlight to shadow.  On the 1Ds, those areas would become muddy and posterized, whereas on the P30, there was still actual visible detail.  This may seem like a very minor issue, but when shooting high contrast portraits, those blotchy "almost black" areas could be really ugly when enlarged to any significant size.  I also realize that one solution is just to throw more fill light in the shadows, but that's often not the look I'm going for.

In short, I'm wondering if this "highlight to shadow transition" issue is any better in the 1Ds mark III than in previous versions?

[Kagetsu]

I have a very specific question.  I previously owned a 1Ds Mark I and II as well as a Phase One P30.  (I no longer own any of them).  One significant difference I noticed between 1Ds (Mark I and II) and the P30 was in the way the camera handled transitions from areas of highlight to shadow.  On the 1Ds, those areas would become muddy and posterized, whereas on the P30, there was still actual visible detail.  This may seem like a very minor issue, but when shooting high contrast portraits, those blotchy "almost black" areas could be really ugly when enlarged to any significant size.  I also realize that one solution is just to throw more fill light in the shadows, but that's often not the look I'm going for.

In short, I'm wondering if this "highlight to shadow transition" issue is any better in the 1Ds mark III than in previous versions?

Personally my experience is limitted to the 1Ds III and the 5D, but the level of detail collected in the low light zones has improved significantly without any of the CF enabled to improve low light performance.

[william]

Thanks everyone.  If any of you have any sample photos from a 1Ds Mk III showing what you consider to be the improved shadow transitions, I'd appreciate it if you'd post them

Personally my experience is limitted to the 1Ds III and the 5D, but the level of detail collected in the low light zones has improved significantly without any of the CF enabled to improve low light performance.

[pss]

i used to own a dsII (very briefly) and was very disappointed with the shadow transitions....got a P30 and never even considered the dsIII when it came out because of my experience with the dsII.....i actually looked at some dsIII files when the d3 came out and compared them out of curiosity....the d3 did not quite cut it, but the dsIII is just wonderful....really great....of course not as much DR as the P30 and not quite the same transitions, it is just different shooting.....one has to be a little more careful with the canon, then the transitions really aren't a problem at all....they can be as good as the P30....i am actually pretty sure the D3x is in the same class as well....
hope that helps...but either way check it out for yourself...

[dwdallam]

I did some work lately in some very contrasty situations and lots of shadows and was disappointed with the results on a "few" of the images. Model looked like she had a 5 O'clock shadow, or light beard. And maybe it was only one or two images, but it kinda pissed me.

[ddk]

I have a very specific question.  I previously owned a 1Ds Mark I and II as well as a Phase One P30.  (I no longer own any of them).  One significant difference I noticed between 1Ds (Mark I and II) and the P30 was in the way the camera handled transitions from areas of highlight to shadow.  On the 1Ds, those areas would become muddy and posterized, whereas on the P30, there was still actual visible detail.  This may seem like a very minor issue, but when shooting high contrast portraits, those blotchy "almost black" areas could be really ugly when enlarged to any significant size.  I also realize that one solution is just to throw more fill light in the shadows, but that's often not the look I'm going for.

In short, I'm wondering if this "highlight to shadow transition" issue is any better in the 1Ds mark III than in previous versions?

I started off with nikons on to canons, including the 1dsmk2 and moved to Fujis for the very same reason. I know that they don't have the caché of the top two but try a Fuji S5 and you'll find the best dynamic range and tonal range of any current dslr.

david